


Keep Your Love Locked Down

by riddlesinthedark11



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-23 18:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4887448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riddlesinthedark11/pseuds/riddlesinthedark11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>DM/HG oneshot turned short multi chapter fic. Hermione really has to go to the bathroom during class. But what happens when she gets stuck in there with none other than Draco Malfoy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi internet! So I'm new to this and I thought what better way to start than with my favourite pairing? Hope you enjoy :) Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it. I also don't own that Kanye song that put the title in my head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi internet! So I'm new to this and I thought what better way to start than with my favourite pairing? Hope you enjoy :) Obviously I don't own Harry Potter or anything related to it. I also don't own that Kanye song that put the title in my head.

It was only half way through second period and Hermione Granger couldn’t concentrate. She tapped her fingers rapidly on the desk, barely listening to her chemistry teacher, Mr Snape, talking about the difference between amines and amides.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. She whipped her hand into the air.

“Yes, Ms Granger?” Mr Snape drawled, irritated. He was not a fan of her frequent questions and corrections during his class.

“May I please go to the bathroom, sir?” Hermione asked in a rush. Her teacher took a long look at the clock above the door, seemingly deliberating. She was on the verge of jumping out of her desk and running to the bathroom when he finally turned back to her and gestured that she could go.

She walked as fast as she could to the girls’ bathroom and picked a stall. When she was done she washed her hands and checked her appearance in the mirror. Deeming herself satisfactory, she walked out, intending to go back to class.

“Attention teachers and students,” a voice spoke from the PA system, “This is your principal. We are now entering a lockdown situation. Please remain in your classes, lock the doors and turn off the lights.” 

“Shit,” Hermione cursed softly. She didn’t want to have to spend a lockdown in the bathroom by herself but her class wasn’t very close. Sighing, she turned on her heel and walked back into the bathroom. _It’s probably just a practice lockdown,_ she told herself. _Nothing to worry about._

She sat on the counter under the mirror and swung her legs, humming absently. A click of the door made her freeze. As the door swung open a hundred scenarios ran through her head, most of them involving her grisly death by the hand of some obscene villain.

What came through the door was worse.

“Tut, tut, Granger. You really should lock the door. What if I had been a serial killer?” Draco Malfoy drawled from the doorway. He turned the lock with a click and advanced on Hermione. She let out a short breath and stepped back.

Draco let his gaze wander lazily up and down Hermione’s body. Hermione flushed but she couldn’t help but do the same to him. In their first couple years of high school he had been a scrawny, lanky boy with far too much product pasting his hair to his scalp. Over the summer before their graduating year, however, he had filled out. He had let his hair grow and it fell in his eyes in a way that made Hermione itch to push it back. His silver eyes glinted in a way that told a girl he’d rather she was wearing a lot less clothing. In short, he oozed sex appeal and Hermione couldn’t help but notice, along with every other girl at their school.

Of course, she could never have him. He was Draco Malfoy, Mr Popular, the school rich boy who disregarded his education in favour of parties and sex. She was Hermione Granger, bookworm extraordinaire, the school prude who could never resist raising her hand to answer every question.

It would never work. But oh, how she wished it could. She sighed longingly and moved her gaze across his form again.

“I know I’m devastatingly handsome, Granger, but really, it’s very rude to stare at someone like that.”  
Hermione snapped out of her reverie, blushing furiously. She had completely forgotten he was in the room, even though it was him she had just been ogling.

“Oh...just—just shut your mouth Malfoy!” she spluttered. _Idiot!_ she thought, irritated at how easily he had flustered her. She turned away from him and pointedly straightened her already straight blouse in the mirror.

“But that’s no fun at all, now is it?” Draco said. His reflection took several predatory steps toward hers. “I can think of so many more... _entertaining_ things I could be doing with my mouth.” 

Hermione’s eyes widened at his suggestive tone. She quickly clamped them shut so she wouldn’t have to look at him, even just in the mirror. She hoped it would stop the sudden pangs of desire running through her body. Unfortunately for her, as soon as her eyes were closed her imagination took over and she pictured exactly the types of things she wanted Malfoy to do with his mouth, and where she wanted him to put it.

On her lips, on her jaw, the place where her shoulder met her neck, behind her ear, her chest, her stomach...and lower. Hermione shivered at the thought.

“Are you thinking about me?” Draco whispered, and Hermione realized with a start just how close he had gotten. His breath was brushing her ear and she could feel the heat rolling off his body from mere centimetres away. “Do you want me to do all those things to you?”

He placed his hands at her waist and slid them down to her hips. Hermione shook her head fervently.

“I don’t believe you,” Draco said softly. “I think you want me. I think you have for a while, you’re just afraid to admit it. But I see how you look at me in class when you think I’m not paying attention.”

“No...I don’t look at you—I don’t want you!” Hermione managed to say weakly. She knew it wasn’t true but if she told Malfoy that she could barely think when his hands were on her he would lord it over her for the rest of the year, probably the rest of her life, too, if he could manage it. Not to mention that Harry and Ron would disown her. Malfoy tormented them endlessly. It would be as bad as lusting after...well, nobody. Wanting Draco Malfoy would be the deadliest sin of all in their minds. She _could not_ do this.

“Liar,” Draco hissed in her ear, drawing her hips backward into his and pressing his chest against her back. He was rippling with muscle and his scent was intoxicating. Hermione couldn’t stop herself from whimpering. Draco let out a low chuckle.

“That’s right, Granger. I know you’re lying. I know you want me and I know you want me now. The only question is where.” Hermione shivered at his words.

“Where do you want me, Granger?” Draco murmured. He threaded his fingers through her hair and tilted her head back. “Here?” He pressed his lips to her neck. He travelled up it, leaving kisses as he went. “Or here?” His mouth was at her ear. He bit her earlobe and her hand, which had been resting on her thigh, reached up to grab the one of his that still held her hip. She had intended to push him away but by that time his lips were covering her chest with kisses and she was having trouble thinking.  
His mouth made its way back up to her face. He kissed along her jaw, her cheeks, her nose...everywhere but her lips. The anticipation was killing her. The hand that was still anchored in her hair pulled her away each time she tried to kiss him. Once he even had the audacity to say, “Patience, Granger,” belittlingly and laugh. Hermione’s anger at that cleared her head and she broke free of his grasp. 

“You prick! I can’t believe you!” She yelled as she whirled around to face him. “You have no right to be in here harassing me! First of all, it’s the girls’ bathroom! And second...well, second of all when Harry and Ron hear about this you’re—you’re done for!” Hermione finished, a little proud that she had managed to break away from Malfoy and tell him what was what. She looked back at him, not sure what to expect—was Malfoy cowering in fear too much to hope for?—and was shocked when he flashed her one of his trademark smirks, designed to make a girl weak in the knees, and then dropped to his own.

“Yes...what will Potty...and the Weasel...think, I wonder?” he mused as he pushed the hem of her shirt up and placed kisses on her stomach. “What will they think of their dear little blushing virgin—” he swirled his tongue around her belly button and she nearly fell over, “—fooling around with the school’s very own man-whore?” Hermione swatted at the top of his head but he only laughed and pushed her against the counter beneath the mirror.

“Because that’s what they think of me, yes?” he asked, although he already knew the answer. Hermione was powerless to respond as his fingers deftly undid the button on her jeans and slid around the waistband of her underwear. Her eyes fluttered shut and she had to bite back a moan.

Hermione couldn’t take it anymore. Fisting a hand in his hair, she used it to pull his head back up to hers. She tried to keep eyes on his but they kept dropping to his lips. He moved his mouth a hair’s breadth away from her own and she couldn’t help the word that slipped from her lips.

“Draco.”

If he was surprised that she had called him by his first name for the first time in the six years they had known each other, he didn’t show it. He just waited.

She couldn’t hold back . She was closing the gap between their mouths, leaning in...

“Attention teachers and students. This is your principal. The school has been secured and it is now safe to leave your classrooms. Would all intermediate students please proceed to their fourth period classes, and would all high school students please proceed to lunch. Thank you for your cooperation.” 

Draco drew away immediately after the PA system crackled off. Hermione felt distinctly cold in all the places he had been touching her. He walked to the door and unlocked it. She stood next to the mirror in a daze.

Draco opened the door and walked through it without a backward glance, but as it closed she heard him say, “See you around...Hermione.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! So I love High School AUs and I might turn this into a multi chapter fic if that's something anyone wants to see :) I also have a bunch of other ideas for multi chapter stories that I want to do though, so you know, if anyone actually reads this lol I'd love to know if this particular story is one you'd want to see more of! Okay I'm done, bye :P


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione struggles to get Draco Malfoy out of her head after two weeks of radio silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, yay! Thank you so much to the people who commented that they wanted to see this! It really made my day :) Enjoy!

It was only half way through second period and Hermione Granger couldn’t concentrate again. Only this time it was for an entirely different reason. 

It had been two weeks since the lockdown incident. After it had happened she told herself that it had been a simple slip-up and that it wouldn’t happen again. She even dared to think that it had been good for her. She had gotten Draco Malfoy out of her system and now she would stop thinking about him altogether. Yeah, right.

In the weeks after the lockdown Hermione had been plagued by thoughts of Malfoy. She tried hard to squash the thoughts as soon as they entered her mind, but they always crept back in. It didn’t help that he was in most of her classes. Even though he had always been known to cut class almost as much as he attended it—it was a wonder he had the grades he did—lately he seemed to be there every period. It was hard not to notice him.

Hermione had definitely noticed him when he had walked into her chemistry class that morning. It was nearly November and an autumn chill had made itself quite at home. Malfoy was wearing a leather jacket and Hermione’s mouth almost dropped open. 

Praise fall fashion and the colour black. 

Malfoy sat down two rows in front of her, looking particularly handsome while doing it. Hermione’s eyes stayed glued to him until Ron nudged her with his elbow from the seat beside her. 

“‘Mione? You alright? You were spacing there for a bit,” he asked, smiling at her. She offered a quiet “fine” while silently scolding herself. _Get a grip, Hermione! Honestly, I thought you had more self respect than to go around lusting after Malfoy! After all, you’ve seen him with three different girls this week!_ she thought. And indeed she had. 

First it had been Pansy Parkinson, a gorgeous but sometimes uppity girl in their grade. Then Daphne Greengrass, one of Pansy’s friends. It amazed Hermione that the girls hadn’t had any sort of fight about it. Then again, sleeping with Draco Malfoy didn’t come with any strings attached, so it wasn’t as if he was more fond of one than the other. They didn’t have much to fight about. Realistically, they probably just compared his performances.

The girl Malfoy was currently amusing himself with was someone two grades below them. Hermione didn’t even know her name. All she knew was that Malfoy paid as much attention to the girl as the ocean does to a raindrop. 

That was also about as much attention as he paid Hermione. In two weeks he hadn’t spoken to her, acknowledged her in the hall or even looked her way. It was infuriating. What was she to him, then? A one-off? A toy? They had never interacted before now, but still...it bothered her.

_But,_ Hermione reminded herself firmly, _you are_ not supposed to care. _You are not supposed to care about Draco Malfoy, and from now on, you won't._

There. It was decided. Malfoy could get out of her head and out of her life, thank you very much. Hermione smiled, pleased with herself. She had spent most of her high school career paying Malfoy no mind. There was no reason for that to change now. He was just a boy. An unbelievably attractive boy, but just a boy. Hermione could handle that.

She had never really concerned herself with relationships. The whole crush thing hadn’t been a part of her high school experience. There had always been better things to do than worry about boys. Harry and Ron, sure, but they were her best friends. Always had been. There was nothing else there. 

Malfoy was the only boy that had caught her eye in six years. But that didn’t matter anymore.

Hermione was full of confidence as the bell rang for lunch. Students shuffled out of the room and she gathered her books.

“See you in a bit, ‘Mione,” Ron called over his shoulder as he left the classroom. They didn’t have homeroom together so their lockers weren’t in the same hallway, but she always met up with Harry and Ron for lunch in the cafeteria. 

Hermione made her way slowly out of chemistry class and to her locker around the corner. The rush of students going for lunch had cleared up and she was almost alone in the hallway. She reached her locker and began to spin the combo in when she noticed a couple in the empty class across the hall. 

_Shit._ Hermione stood, frozen, as she watched the nameless tenth grader twine herself around Malfoy. She dropped her lock, which clanged against her locker. The sound echoed in the empty hall and Malfoy raised his head. The girl didn’t notice, but upon seeing Hermione’s flushed face, he grinned like the cat that got the cream. And then the bastard had the nerve to wink.

Hermione whipped back around to face her locker and fumbled to open it. As soon as she did, she crammed her books in and snatched her lunch from the top shelf. Inwardly cringing at how crumpled her chemistry notes now were, she slammed her locker shut and walked to the cafeteria as quickly as she could without running. 

Forgetting about Malfoy was off to a terrible start.

Hermione pushed open the doors to the cafeteria while mentally placing Malfoy in a box and jumping up and down on it. She smiled evilly and to any onlooker she must have looked slightly deranged, but it helped a little. She only wished that she was better at not thinking about him. It was rather pathetic. Thankfully, by the time she was sitting down with Harry and Ron, thoughts of Malfoy were only occupying a quarter of her brain, as opposed to the entire thing, as they had been while she was rushing away from him and his current lady-friend. 

“Hello, boys,” she greeted as she sat down. 

“Hey! We were just talking about the soccer schedule,” Harry said through a mouthful of apple. 

“It just got posted this morning,” Ron continued. Both boy were part of an intramural soccer team. Each year, sixteen teams within the school competed in a tournament. Harry and Ron had been playing since the ninth grade. Ron was goalie and Harry played striker. They had come in second place twice, losing out to the same team in the finals both times.

All this to say that Hermione never heard the end of it. Sure, she came to see their games and enjoyed watching the sport itself, but, win or loss, her friends never shut up about it. It was either complaints about how the referee was clearly against them or boasts about how they single-handedly led the team to victory. Hermione loved her best friends but really...three years of that could get a little tiring.

“We’re sure to beat Malfoy’s team this time around!” Ron said fervently, his eyes shining. Harry nodded and narrowed his eyes at the table where Malfoy and his friends were sitting.

That was, after all, the best part. Where it all began. In the ninth grade, the boys’ team had gotten crushed by Malfoy’s. The next year, her friends had faced him in the finals and lost in the last minutes of the game. The rest was history. Years of insults thrown from both sides. Another loss to Malfoy in the eleventh grade only made things worse.

“That scumbag isn’t going to get away with another dirty play like last time...” Harry muttered. “I mean, can you believe the ref? Letting it go after he practically threw me to the ground?” 

“We’ll get him, Harry, just you wait. He’ll wish he had never even...” Ron began, but Hermione tuned him out. There was no stopping them once they got on the subject. Instead of listening, Hermione let her eyes wander around the cafeteria, neglecting her lunch. 

As it had taken to doing recently, her body betrayed her by locking her eyes on Malfoy’s table. He had arrived with the girl and was now laughing about something with his friends. 

She huffed in annoyance at herself and forced her unwilling eyes to return to Harry and Ron. 

They were still talking about the soccer tournament. She continued to ignore what they were saying, her attention drawn instead to what they were doing. Harry was talking only to Ron—Hermione had told the boys on more than one occasion how she felt about participating in their soccer rants—but Ron was glancing back and forth between her and Harry every few seconds. His face fell when he realized that she wasn’t interested in what he was saying, but every time he looked back at her his expression was almost...hopeful.

_Well, fuck._ Hermione thought. Yes, she and Ron had always been just friends, but there was one time at the start of their second year of high school...She hadn’t seen it coming at all, but one day after class Ron had approached her and asked her if she would like to go out to dinner with him. He had had the same hope in his eyes. Then the same crushed look when she turned him down gently, only ten times worse. Hermione had assumed that he had gotten over it by now, but she was beginning to think that he hadn’t.

_It would make sense,_ she realized. Since then Ron hadn’t seriously considered asking out another girl, and a few times in the past couple months the three of them had planned to hang out and Harry had “cancelled” last minute every time. _I wonder if_ — 

“And Hermione can come watch us walk all over that son of a bitch!” Ron said triumphantly, looking at her for confirmation. It took all her willpower to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you’re still on about this. He can’t really be that horrible,” she muttered, annoyed.

“What the hell?” Ron spluttered, his ears turning a bit red.

“Did you just say that Malfoy isn’t that horrible? Please tell me I didn’t just hear that,” Harry said heatedly. Hermione realized her mistake. Her grave, grave mistake. Oh, she was in for it if she couldn’t figure a way out of this. They wouldn’t talk to her for weeks, maybe months!

“No! No I absolutely did NOT say that!” she began. “I was just talking to myself! What I really said was ‘It can’t really be that horrible’.” She cringed at how pathetic her excuse sounded. 

“And why on earth would you say that?” Harry asked stonily.

She had no idea what possessed her to say what came out of her mouth next. But it came out and she couldn’t take it back.

“Because—because I was nervous! And I was nervous because...well...you see, I was nervous because I didn’t want to fuck it up and I was trying to talk myself into it and...oh, fuck it. Ron, will you go out with me?”

Hermione was not a good actress and she was downright awful at lying to her friends. But somehow, she had just told the lie of her life, and Ron had swallowed it hook, line and sinker. His face lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and Harry clapped him on the back as Ron nodded his head yes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, Hermione done fucked up. Poor Ron.  
> I'm thinking this will have about 5 chapters total because I definitely want to put up some of the other stuff I'm writing, but thanks again to the lovely people who commented and I'll try to have the next chapter up after the Thanksgiving weekend! Also I can't get the notes from the previous chapter to go away (newbie lol) so if anyone can tell me how to fix that I will be eternally grateful. Until then just ignore it. Okay I'm done, bye :P


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been a month since Hermione asked Ron to be her boyfriend. It's difficult for her to keep up the facade and now she finds out something about Draco that may change the situation entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I ended the last chapter a tiny bit evilly and it is Thanksgiving here's the next one a little early! I don't own Harry Potter and I'm not JK Rowling or anything but enjoy anyway!!! :)

Hermione felt like crying. It was the end of what had been a terribly long day and she was going out to dinner with Ron later that night.

Ron. Her boyfriend. The guy she was supposed to be in love with.

They had been dating for a month and she couldn’t take it anymore. She hated it, and not just the fact that she didn’t really love Ron. Not in the way he wanted her to, at least. No, what she hated most of all was that every day when she woke up she had to create a girl who had fallen head over heels for her best friend. And every day that girl lied to her best friends, her family and everyone she knew.

But she had no idea how to get out. If she broke up with Ron he would want to hear a reason for it, and if he asked she knew that she would tell him everything. How she spent the lockdown with Draco, thought about him for weeks afterward and then pretended to like Ron just because she was afraid that she would get hurt if she was honest with him.

But she was a coward and now they would both end up hurt worse than if she had just had the guts to tell the truth.

_At least you got one thing you wanted,_ Hermione thought bitterly. _You don’t think about Draco anymore._

It was true. She barely did. She was so focussed on her anger at herself for creating the whole mess and her worries about how to get out of it that she had nearly forgotten about him. Nearly, but not quite. He still caught her eye when she saw him in the halls and she couldn’t deny that she still wanted him, but he didn’t often cross her mind unprompted. She almost wished he would, though. It would make the whole ordeal seem a little more...worth it. If she actually liked Draco instead of just being attracted to him then— _wait, what? Since when do I call him Draco?_

Hermione sighed and rested her head against her locker. She was in no way prepared to deal with thoughts like that. What she needed was a cup of vanilla rooibos, a bowl of popcorn and a good comedy. All she wanted in the world was a night to herself.

“Hey, baby.”

She felt arms circle around her waist from behind, trapping her. The smell of Ron’s cologne enveloped her. She took a deep breath, pasted a smile on her face and turned around.

“Hi! How was your day?” 

“Better now that I’m with you,” Ron said, leaning in to kiss her. She let him, pulling back after a couple of seconds on the pretense of putting another binder in her school bag. She slung it over her shoulder and locked her locker.

“Excited for tonight?” Ron asked, referring to the double date they had planned with Harry and Ginny, Ron’s little sister and Harry’s girlfriend.

“I can’t wait,” Hermione replied. Strangely enough, it wasn’t a lie. She was looking forward to seeing Ginny. It had been a while since she had gotten together with her friend and she didn’t usually see her around school because they had different classes and friend groups that didn’t overlap. It would be good to talk to her.

“Great! Ginny and I have the car, so we’ll pick you and Harry up at seven!” 

“Okay, see you then!” Hermione smiled, a little more genuinely this time, and was starting to walk away when she felt Ron’s hand take her wrist. He turned her back around to face him.

“Hermione?” He looked a little nervous, but he seemed determined to say something. 

“Yes, Ron?”

“I—I think...” he took a deep breath. “I...love you.”

_Oh. Oh shit. Oh no. Please, please take it back, Ron. You can’t love me; we’ve only been fake dating for a month!_ Hermione stared at him for a few seconds, torn. There was the ever-present urge to just let the words flow out of her, tell him that it was all a lie, but the utter vulnerability in his expression stopped her. She couldn’t do it. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to. So she imagined a look of hopeful joy and let it mold her features.

“Really? Oh, Ron, I think I love you too!” Ron beamed and wrapped her in a fierce hug. Her smile crumpled and she choked back a sob over his shoulder. She was the worst best friend in the world. He pulled her out of the hug and held her at arm’s length so he could look at her. After a few seconds he shook his head slightly in disbelief and kissed her quickly on the lips.

“See you at seven, baby!”

As soon as he rounded the corner into the next hallway, she slid to the floor. Nobody was around, as it was fifteen minutes after the bell on a Friday. After a cursory glance to ensure that no one was there to see, she finally broke down and cried. 

After several minutes she was in a good enough state to realize that she should probably head home. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and stood up. Grabbing her bag from where she had let it fall to the ground, she composed herself and then made her way to the staircase at the front of the school. As she turned the first corner she ran right into something. Something hard and warm and...

“Granger?”

“Malfoy?” 

Hermione blushed as memories of the last time they were alone together came unbidden into her mind.

“Are you okay?” Draco asked.

“Oh, honestly Malfoy, it’s not as if every time you touch me I fall into some sort of infatuated trance. Get over yourself.” She mentally high-fived herself when her voice came out strong and altogether uninterested. She also congratulated herself on remembering to use his last name, because for whatever reason, it wasn’t the first thing she thought to call him anymore.

Draco just shook his head. Bracing one hand on the locker behind her he asked again.

“Are you okay, Granger? You look like you’ve been crying.” His eyes searched hers and if she didn’t know any better, she would have said he looked concerned. _For Ms Know-It-All? Not a chance, Hermione. Get your head on straight._

“Well, I wasn’t. And even if I was, why would you care? And why are you still here? School’s been out for twenty minutes,” Hermione responded defensively. She had enough problems to deal with without Draco Malfoy meddling in them. 

“I was here for extra help. I want to boost my biology mark for midterms so that it doesn’t bring my average down on my university application,” he explained, smoothly avoiding her first question. “Nursing isn’t an easy program to get into.”

“Wait, you want to be a nurse?” She was confused. Was this not the same Draco Malfoy who skipped class at least twice a week? Who messed with her during the lockdown just because he could?

“Yeah, I do,” he answered. “My dad always expected me to be a doctor, but I finally figured out that this is what I really want.” He held her gaze, waiting for her reaction.

“But you’re—” she began.

“Draco Malfoy, the school man-whore who couldn’t give a flying fuck about anything academia-related?” He smiled mirthlessly. “Because that’s what _you_ think of me, too, yes?” 

“Draco, I—” Hermione began again. This time she wasn’t sure how to finish. For years, that had been exactly what she thought of him. Now she felt...ashamed. 

“Think about it, Hermione. Yes, I missed a lot of class last year, but how many times have you seen me skip since this September?” She thought about it, and he was right—he had missed class twice, maybe three times in almost four months. _Wow. Have I really been wrong about him, all this time?_

“I have ambitions just like everybody else. This year I decided to work for them,” he said. She opened her mouth to—what? Apologize? She didn’t really know, but he cut her off again.

“Enough about me. You still haven’t answered my question. Are you okay?” He took a step toward her. His hand was still on the locker above ahead, so he had effectively caged her in.

“I’m fine.”

Hermione couldn’t stop the lie. She had been “fine” for weeks; it was second nature to lie about it now, and her head was still reeling from this new side of the boy who had tormented her friends for years. With the old Draco in mind she expected him to accept the lie and walk away but he just looked sad.

“You’re lying. I can tell. So why do you stay with him?” 

With him? _Oh_. Ron. _Shit! Snap out of it, Hermione!_

“You know what, Malfoy?” she spat, all of a sudden angry. “I don’t need to prove anything to you! You have ridiculed my best friends for three years and now you just expect me to pour my heart out to you? Think again.” She pushed him out of the way and strode toward the staircase. So what if he wasn’t actually as much of a slacker as she had thought? That didn’t change the fact that he was an absolute ass! Maybe he had been suspiciously nice just now, but, she told herself, she wasn’t about to get over the years of him antagonising Harry and Ron just because he was drop-dead gorgeous and had asked her if she was okay. Not a chance. So she kept walking.  
“Hermione!” Draco called after her. “Yes, I’ve been a dick to them, but did you ever stop and think that they have been doing the exact same thing to me?” 

♣♣♣♣

“Ginny!” Hermione crushed her friend into a hug when she came to the door with Ron at seven o’ clock that night. Ginny returned the hug just as enthusiastically.

“Good to see you, ‘Mione,” she said with a warm smile. They walked back down Hermione’s driveway toward the car.

“Wow, baby, I see how it is. I guess you love my sister more than you love me,” Ron mock-whined. She cringed inwardly, but placated him with a hug before climbing into the backseat with Ginny. They picked up Harry from his aunt and uncle’s house and got to the restaurant for quarter after. Zak’s Diner had been their go-to place for years. They made the best milkshakes in town. 

Their waiter led them to a table in the back and they sat down. They immediately placed the orders they had perfected years ago. When their milkshakes came, Hermione took a big sip of her banana chocolate flavoured one and let out a long breath. _Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all._

“So, everybody, the main reason I wanted to have us all out tonight is because I have something to ask Hermione.” _Or not._ Ron stood up and gazed at her purposefully. _If he proposes I swear I will cram my straw down his throat._

“Hermione, will you go to the Christmas dance with me?” Ron asked. Harry and Ginny looked at her expectantly. She briefly closed her eyes, preparing herself to add yet another layer to the lie she had built over the last month.

“Yes, of course!” She smiled at Ron and they shared a quick kiss. As they sat back down, their food arrived. They gave their thanks to the waiter and tucked in. Ginny gave Hermione a worrying look over her burger.

“Well isn’t this lovely. Since we’re both going to the dance now, you and I can go shopping for our dresses together, ‘Mione.” Ginny said with an overly sweet smile. The boys didn’t seem to notice anything but Hermione’s gut twisted uneasily.

“Sounds great, Gin. How about Sunday?”

“Perfect! I must have missed so many stories since we last saw each other. I can’t wait to hear _every little detail._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I wonder what's up with Ginny... :P  
> Hermione's trying not to forget about all the stuff Draco has done but personally, I am so bad at not falling for boys so who knows how long her resolve will last??? Also, fun fact, Zak's Diner is a real place where I live and omg their food is amazing, especially the milkshakes! Hope you guys liked the chapter, and the last two will be up way before Halloween, guaranteed! Okay I'm done, bye :P


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione and Ginny go shopping for dresses and the truth comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little shorter than some of the others, but enjoy!!!

“Okay, spill.”

Hermione sighed. She had been dreading this ever since the dinner at Zak’s on Friday. After Ron had asked her to the dance and Ginny proposed they go shopping the date had gone well. She had had a good time with her friends for the first time in a while, but since then all she could think about was how she was going to manage telling Ginny about it.

She knew that Ginny knew. There was no question that she had figured it out, and Hermione was almost glad. Because even though she knew that breaking up with Ron would ruin their friendship, at least for a while, and cause Harry to have to pick a side—Ron’s, of course, because Hermione was definitely the ho, not the bro, in this situation—there was something else that she couldn’t stop thinking about.

That something was Draco Malfoy— _again_. And Hermione was beginning to think that that might mean something. Yes, he could be a prick, but over the course of dinner at Zak’s she had realized that he was right—Harry and Ron did talk as much shit about him as he did them. That was the only part of the date Hermione hadn’t enjoyed—the Malfoy-bashing. Which was odd because in all the years her friends had been doing it, the only thing about it that had annoyed her was that they did it so often. Now it bothered her because they did it _to Draco_. And she was starting to think that that might mean something, too.

“Honestly, Hermione, don’t just stand there gaping at me like a fish. I know something’s up, okay? So at least have the decency to tell me about it yourself instead of hiding it like you’ve been doing for a month!” Oh, right. Ginny. Hermione had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had forgotten the reason for the dilemma she was confronted with. Telling Ginny.

On one hand, she was pretty sure that Ginny would not be happy about it. Despite the fact that they were close friends, what Hermione had to say would break her brother’s heart. On the other hand, Ginny already had a hunch about her and Ron, and Hermione knew that she wouldn’t let it go. Her friend might even be more mad at her for not telling her than for the truth about her relationship with Ron. The only thing she knew for certain was that telling Ginny about whatever the fuck was going on with Draco would turn out worse than either of the other options. _Maybe I can tell her the truth but just...omit that part,_ Hermione thought. 

So she took a deep breath, set her shoulders and said it.

“I’m not in love with Ron. I never was, and after this month I know that I never can be. It was all a mistake but I don’t how to break it to him, and Ginny, it’s killing me.” Hermione finished and held her breath, waiting for her friend’s response.

“...Okay.” Ginny said simply.

“Okay?” She was incredulous. Ginny could have fiery temper and she thought for sure this news would spark it.

“Yes, ‘okay’,” Ginny said. She stepped closer to Hermione and gave her a quick hug. “Look,” she continued upon releasing her, “I’m not going to pretend that I’m not mad. I am. This is my brother we’re talking about.” Hermione hung her head. “But,” Ginny went on, “you’re obviously unhappy, and since I am your friend and Ron is my brother and both of you will   
only end up in more pain if this continues, I am going to help you figure a way out of it.”

Hermione wasn’t sure what to say for a moment. She had been so certain that if anyone found out they would blow up at her. It felt indescribable to know that someone was on her side.

“Thank you!” she said, nearly throwing herself at Ginny and enveloping her in a bear hug.

“It’s going to be okay,” Ginny replied, hugging Hermione back just as fiercely. “Now come on,” she said, extricating herself. “Let’s try on some dresses and solve this thing, shall we?”

“Lead the way.”

♣♣♣♣

“So let me get this straight,” Ginny said, an explanation and quite a few dresses later. “First, Draco Malfoy seduced you in a bathroom, then you accidentally defended him to your best friends who loathe him. Next, through some very unfortunate word vomit, you asked my brother out and now you want to break up with him but don’t want to hurt him. Did I get that right?”

Hermione almost laughed at how dumb it all sounded when Ginny said it, but held it in and nodded her head yes.

“Okay, I can work with that.” Ginny mimed putting on her thinking cap and Hermione snickered. “But first get out of that hideous dress. You won’t impress anyone in that and it’s painful to look at.”

_It’s not as if I have anyone to impress,_ Hermione thought. _Although...fuck it. If I’m going to be honest with Ginny I’ve got to be completely honest._

“Gin, there’s something else...” 

Ginny raised her eyebrows. Hermione took a breath and continued.

“I think I have feelings for Draco Malfoy.”

It all came out in a rush and the strangest feeling of relief came over her, like when they were younger and Harry and Ron would hold her head underwater at the swimming pool. She had finally come up for air.

“Draco fucking Malfoy? What the hell, Hermione!” _Aaand we’re back underwater._ Hermione’s stomach plummeted. Ginny’s face had turned red and a couple other shoppers had looked their way at her near-shout.

“Look, I know you two got it on in the bathroom or whatever, but you’re not seriously telling me that you’re—what? Falling for him? Do you know what that will do to Ron? To Harry? Fucking hell, Hermione!”

Hermione was now on the verge of tears. All the worry, the pain and the self-loathing that had started with the lockdown was engulfing her. But this time she wasn’t going to let it stop her. She had made a mistake. A bad one. But it didn’t mean she didn’t deserve a chance to be happy.

“Alright, Ginny,” she said, pulling her friend into their change room and shutting the door to keep them away from prying eyes. “You’ve been understanding up until now and I need you to do it again. I know it will be hard—don’t you think I’ve thought about this? Draco has been their rival for years, so yes, I know exactly what this will do to Ron and Harry, but they have been despicable to him, too! And right now he is the only person that seems to have noticed or cared about the fact that I am miserable! So forgive me for not loving you brother the way he wants me to and not being able to ignore whatever I feel for Draco! I tried. Believe me, I did. But I—I just can’t. I just can’t do it anymore!”

With that, Hermione started to cry. Ginny stood next to her, speechless, as she crumpled onto the change room bench and put her face in her hands. Ginny hesitantly say down next to her and wrapped an arm around her friend’s shaking shoulders.

“Hermione,” she said softly, “I’m sorry. I had no idea how much this was putting you through. I was just extremely taken aback, but if you really feel something for him then I’ll do my best to understand. I shouldn’t have reacted that way, or judged you, or...” Hermione lifted her head. A couple tears still clung to her cheeks. Ginny reached out a hand to brush them away. 

“I’m on your side now,” she said. “Harry and Ron probably won’t speak to you for a while after this all goes down, so you’re going to need at least one friend.”

Hermione smiled and said jokingly, “Hey, I could be friends with my whole grade if I wanted to! I’m just selective.”

“You can say that again. You really do know how to pick ‘em. Draco fucking Malfoy...” Ginny smirked.

“Oh, shut up, Gin.”

“Fine, fine. First things first, I think it will be best to end things with Ron after the dance. Give him one more good memory to hold on to.” Ginny took a sleek gold dress off its hanger and pulled it on.

“Okay, I can do that,” Hermione nodded, getting a dress of her own from the pile they had gathered earlier. “I also think that if there is anything between Draco and me we should keep it quiet for a while, at least until we know if it’s worth the trouble it would cause.” 

“Good point—you two would be just about the most taboo couple ever,” Ginny chuckled. Then she grew serious. “If you guys did get together it would almost certainly ruin your friendship with Ron,” she said somberly. “I don’t think there would be anything I could do to help with that...”

“I know. That will be on me.” Hermione sighed. “I hope one day he’ll realize that it never would have worked out. He deserves better than what I can give him.” She smiled fondly and assessed the dress that Ginny had tried on. The gold worked beautifully with her hair and the shape suited her perfectly.

“That’s the one, Gin. Harry won’t know what hit him.” Ginny beamed and nodded in agreement, twirling around to admire herself in the mirror. She really did look gorgeous.

“Now come on,” Ginny said, prodding Hermione’s arm. “We’ve got to find you a dress that’ll leave our dear Mr Malfoy begging for another lockdown!” She winked, and Hermione   
truly laughed for the first time in a long time.

“I’m so lucky to have you, Gin.”

“Aw, how sappy. I love you, too. Now shut up and try something on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, only one more chapter to go! Hopefully it will be up next weekend but school just dumped a bunch of shit on me so I can't promise anything. Okay I'm done, bye :P


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the night of the Christmas dance and Hermione can't seem to keep her eyes off Draco.   
> He can't keep his eyes off her either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! So here we go, the last chapter! Sorry that it's a little later than I intended but anyway. Thanks so much to everyone who commented while I was writing this, especially vjc! You guys are all fabulous :) I don't own many things, including the Harry Potter series and All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey. Enjoy!!!

“You know, I’ve really outdone myself,” Ginny said smugly as Hermione spun in a slow circle so that her friend could assess her handiwork.

“I can’t say I disagree,” Hermione replied, pausing to look at herself in the mirror. “You look stunning as well.”

It was the night of the Christmas dance and Ginny had come over to Hermione’s house. Hermione was terrible at doing makeup and hair but Ginny had a real talent for it, so she had agreed to help her get ready. 

Hermione was wearing a knee-length, midnight blue, lace dress with silver heels and simple silver jewelry. Ginny was in the gold dress she had picked out early in their shopping trip the previous weekend, matched with a pair of wicked, sparkly, gold heels. They both looked fantastic and Hermione couldn’t help but feel like tonight might actually be fun. It was the last time she would have to lie to everyone—Ron especially—she would be with all of her best friends and maybe, just maybe, she would get a chance to talk to Draco.

She had admitted it to herself. She liked him. So he was her friends’ mortal enemy, so he had a reputation, so a million other reasons she shouldn’t. But he had also noticed when she had been miserable, tried his best to reach out to her (she now regretted shutting him down as forcefully as she had), and driven her crazy up against a bathroom counter. After all, it was her graduating year. If something happened between them and didn’t work out, she would leave for university and not have to see him for a long time, if not the rest of her life. But if it did work out... _well let’s just say I think it will be worth the risk._

“Thinking about Prince Charming, are we?” Ginny said suggestively, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts. 

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“That’ll be the boys, so, no, I most definitely am not thinking of him. I am thinking of my wonderful boyfriend, thank you very much,” Hermione retorted. Ginny led the way to the door and Hermione followed a bit behind. _Deep breath. You can do this. It’s only for one more night._ She would give Ron his good memory like Ginny said she should and then it would end. So tonight, she was going to enjoy herself, partly for Ron and partly for herself.

They all piled into Ron’s car and Hermione told Ron genuinely that he looked handsome, to which he responded that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. For once, she was able to give him a real smile. 

Harry and Ginny were utterly adorable, if a little sappy, throughout the entire ride to the school. Hermione wondered at her friend who—normally fierce and independent—was putty in her boyfriend’s hands. _Although,_ she mused, _he is putty in her hands as well. It’s a wonder they get anything done at all._

When they arrived at the school, the dance had already started. They walked in and gave their tickets to the Student Council member at the door and then checked their coats. Hermione could hear the music blaring from the gym as they made their way through the groups of people in the hall. Decorations covered every available space, giving the school a strong—if a little tacky—sense of Christmas spirit.

An upbeat Christmas song was playing as they walked into the gym and found a few of their friends. Hermione greeted them as she, Harry, Ron and Ginny joined in the dancing, but her eyes were covertly scanning the gym for a certain someone. When she found him her mouth nearly dropped open. He looked sexy as ever in a fitted blue dress shirt and dress pants, but he was wearing an abnormally large bow tie with the Grinch’s face on it! She had to hold in a laugh. It was so contrary to her idea of him. Then again, most of her other judgments of him had turned out to be wrong, too. 

She really didn’t know him after all, but she wanted to.

“Hermione!” Ron said excitedly, pulling her towards him by her waist. “Dance with me!” He grabbed her hand and twirled her around, not taking no for an answer as the first notes of “All I Want for Christmas Is You” sounded in the gym. All of her friends had paired up for the song and as she glanced across the room she saw that Draco was dancing with Pansy. She felt a twinge of jealousy but it quickly went away when she noticed that he was a good deal closer than he had been just a minute ago and he was looking straight back at her.

She caught her breath when he didn’t look away, but then Ron was spinning her around to the beat again and she lost sight of him.

Throughout the rest of the song, Hermione did her best to keep her eyes on Ron but they always drifted back to Draco. And Draco always seemed to drift a little closer to her every time she looked. Each time she shook herself mentally and returned her attention to Ron, but eventually he and Pansy were dancing right next to them. Their two friend groups had overlapped a little at this point and they were in the middle of a strange mixture of people who, under any other circumstances, would be at each others’ throats. Hermione put it down to Christmas spirit. 

As the song neared its end, Draco and Pansy were dancing so close to her and Ron that as Ron turned her one last time, she brushed against Draco’s back. At the touch, she glanced up at him and he turned his head to meet her gaze. For the single second that their eyes were locked, Hermione felt a shiver run down her body. His eyes were so filled with...intent. She could have sworn that he started to mouth “all I want for Christmas is you” as Mariah sang it out the final time, but Ron turned her and the moment was lost. 

Her boyfriend released her and mock-kissed her hand. Then he went to talk to Harry and Hermione felt another hand grab hers roughly and start to pull her out of the gym. She   
whirled around to see who was dragging her. A rather large part of her was hoping it was Draco, but instead her eyes were met with red hair and a gold dress.

“Ginny!” she hissed, but her friend refused to let go of her hand until she had been successfully dragged into the girls bathroom. Ginny wheeled around to face her.

“No—stop. This is important,” she cut in as Hermione opened her mouth to protest. “You and Malfoy are being so fucking obvious! I mean, I’m happy that he seems to like you and all, but seriously, he mouthed ‘all I want for Christmas is you’ at you! In front of the whole school! While you were _dancing with your boyfriend!_ ” Ginny had raised her voice way above a whisper by then, so she pulled Hermione into the corner as a few gossip-hungry eyes looked their way.

Hermione hadn’t been fully listening after Ginny confirmed that Draco had said that to her. It was so nice to know that she might not be temporarily destroying her friendship with Ron for little more than a one-sided fantasy.

“Hermione! Look at me!” Ginny snapped. “You need to cut out the lovey-dovey stuff or Ron and Harry are going to notice!” 

Hermione took a deep breath to clear her head and then spoke calmly to Ginny.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea that we were being obvious. I didn’t even think he really liked me.”

“Oh please, I’ve seen you two together once and I can tell he likes you without either of you having said anything,” Ginny said, rolling her eyes. 

“Well, as such, is it really sparing Ron if I break up with him after tonight? Won’t it just seem worse that I faked it at the dance to give him a “happy memory” and then proceeded to rip out his heart and jump all over it?” Hermione said. Ginny looked vaguely stunned. 

“You might be right. I’m not sure why I didn’t think about that before.”

“Probably because you thought I’d do a better job of resisting Mr Malfoy,” Hermione said with a wry smile. Ginny laughed and led Hermione back into the hallway.

“True. You are quite miserable at it.”

“Hey!” Hermione joked, and the two friends shared another laugh as they strode back into the gym. It didn’t take long for them to locate their friends on the dance floor. Hermione started to walk towards Ron, encouraged by a supportive look from Ginny.

“Ron,” she began as she came within earshot.

“Oh, ‘Mione, there you are! I’ve been looking for you!” He smiled, but it fell from his face as he took in her serious expression. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Yes.” A deep breath again. “Ron, I’ve been holding this in for a while now, but I need to be honest with you. I’ve realized that this isn’t working for me and I—”

“It’s okay,” Ron interrupted.

“What?”

“It’s okay, Hermione. I’m not stupid, you know. I noticed that you’ve been a bit off lately and I don’t want you to be with me if it doesn’t make you happy. I love you, and I’ll still love you as a friend if you can’t be with me anymore.” _What the shit,_ Hermione thought. _When did Ron get this mature?_

“So...you’re not...mad, or anything?” she asked. Ron chuckled.

“I’m going to need some time. You’re an amazing girl and I’m not just going to get over you. But we’re going to be okay.” Ron smiled warmly at her and made to leave, but she caught his arm.

“Hey—thank you. I’m—I’m lucky to have you, boyfriend or no. Also, when the hell did you get so wise?” Hermione asked incredulously. Ron winked at her.

“I do have a brain you know. And also a sister.” He smiled at her again and she watched him walk to Harry. As his best friend hugged him, she saw him start to cry. It broke her heart in two, knowing that he was crying because of her, but she also felt an enormous weight being lifted off her shoulders. As Harry left the gym with Ron and a couple of their guy friends in tow, she glanced around for Ginny, ready to give her a piece of her mind for saying something to Ron. Before she could, warm hands were at her waist, pulling her around to face none other than Draco Malfoy. The reason she had gotten herself into this mess and the only man in the room who could make a Grinch bow tie look sexy.

“Nice bow tie,” were the first words that came out of her mouth.

“Hello to you, too,” he said, drawing her a little closer and beginning to move her in time with the slow song that had just started.

“You don’t waste time, do you?” Hermione quipped. In truth, however, she had been hoping he would talk to her tonight. She just hadn’t thought it would be so soon.

“What can I say? I saw the most beautiful girl in the room without a dance partner. That’s a crime, you know.” He winked as he took her hand and spun her away from him and then back into his chest. It was the most wonderful sense of warmth and something like belonging. 

“I’m sorry about you and Weasley.”

“Me too,” she replied. She looked at him and she could tell that he meant it just as much as she did.

“But, since you’re now unattached...may I have this dance?” 

“You already do, dumbass.” Draco just laughed. Hermione frowned up at him.

“Oh, I knew that you would say yes all along. I just happen to be a fine, upstanding gentleman who gives a lady the option,” Draco said with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“You? A gentleman? Don’t make me laugh,” Hermione said, gasping slightly as he dipped her. _I’ll say one thing—the boy can dance._

“But that’s exactly what I want to do,” Draco replied seriously. “I want to make you laugh and smile and scream my name...” The heat in his eyes could have melted steel.

“And just when I thought you were being romantic.” Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn’t keep a shiver from rolling down her body. 

“I’m being serious, Hermione.”

“Draco, I—I just ended things with Ron.” He sighed and brought a hand to her face to make sure her eyes stayed on his. She couldn’t help but turn her cheek into his palm a little.

“I know. Believe me, I know. So I’m not asking for all those things—yet. I’m not asking for forever, I’m not even asking you for today. Right now all I want is this one dance. So please, Hermione, give it to me.”

She knew that she would. There was never really any question. Maybe it wouldn’t work out between them and maybe it would all be for nothing, but right then she wanted that dance—the simple chance—just as much as he did. So she nodded and laid her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and as the song played out, she knew that   
Ron was right. Everything would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, all done! I hope you guys liked it and in case you were wondering, in my mind the song playing at the end is the chorus of Holding On and Letting Go by Ross Copperman! Thanks again to all the people who read and commented, it makes me feel awesome, especially since this is my first time writing anything! <3 I'll be starting a new multi chap fic (Dramione of course) soon so stay tuned if you liked this one! Okay I'm done, bye :P

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! So I love High School AUs and I might turn this into a multi chapter fic if that's something anyone wants to see :) I also have a bunch of other ideas for multi chapter stories that I want to do though, so you know, if anyone actually reads this lol I'd love to know if this particular story is one you'd want to see more of! Okay I'm done, bye :P


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